World champion weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu gave India its first Gold Medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast . Earlier, India opened its medal account in the quadrennial extravaganza, when weightlifter P Gururaja claimed a silver medal in the men’s 56kg category.
Competing in the women’s 48 kg division, Chanu went on a record-smashing spree, claiming three of them in a power-packed performance. The Indian ended with a total lift of 196 kg, earning a massive applause from the fans at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre. The 23-year-old Manipuri’s previous best was a total lift of 194kg which was achieved in the World Championships a few months ago. Expressing her feelings after the remarkable performance, a jubilant Chanu said
Earlier in the day, 25-year old Gururaja, making his Commonwealth Games debut, equalled his personal best and finished second in the men’s 56kg for the Silver. Malaysia’s Muhammad Zhar Ahmed won the Gold, while Sri Lanka’s Lakmal Chaturanga took the Bronze in the event.
In other events today, the star-studded Indian Badminton team blanked Sri Lanka in a lopsided preliminary group clash of the mixed team championship.
In a women’s Team Table Tennis group fixture, India thrashed Sri Lanka 3-0. In men’s Swimming, Virdhawal Khade entered the semi-finals in 50-metre butterfly, while Srihari Nataraj also reached the same stage in 100 metres backstroke. However, in Women’s Hockey, the Indian team went down 2-3 to Wales in a group fixture.
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